An Assessment of the Pattern of Turkish Manufactured Export Growth in the 1980s and its Prospects

Abstract

Turkey’s trade and industrialization policies until 1980 were characterized by strong inward-orientation. All indices of trade orientation put her well behind cross-country norms with exports in 1979 constituting only 3.2 per cent of GNP. Although a wide range of export promotion policies were in operation since 1963, the trade regime remained heavily biased against exports. Consequently, exports were dependent on a handful of traditional commodities like cotton, tobacco, hazelnuts, dried figs and raisins while manufactured exports constituted only 27.4 per cent of the total as late as 1979.